Subscribe
Follow Us
After a busy 2024 offseason, the Nashville Predators looked set to be a contender in the Western Conference this year.
The Predators made three key additions in free agency, who looked poised to be impact players in Nashville. Notably, the team brought in Steven Stamkos on a four-year contract, while also adding Jonathan Marchessault. The Predators then also made a big addition to the blue line, signing Brady Skjei.
However, the season has been nothing short of a complete disappointment. The Predators currently sit 14th in the Western Conference, holding just a 27-40-8 record. For a team with so much promise coming into the year, now being officially eliminated from playoff contention raises questions as to where the team goes from here.
So with the regular season wrapping up, below are three predictions for the Nashville Predators this summer.
Predators keep all 3 first-round picks, build through draft
While the Predators may be finishing up a tough year, there are still some positives for the future of the organization. To start, the team has three first-round picks in this year's draft.
Their first pick is likely to come inside the top five, giving the Predators a piece to build around long-term. However, the team also holds the Vegas Golden Knights' first-round pick, which was acquired from the San Jose Sharks in the Yaroslav Askarov trade. Meanwhile, the Predators also have a first-round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning from the 2023 Tanner Jeannot trade. The Predators also hold two second-round picks, totaling five picks in the first two rounds of the draft.
With so much draft capital, Nashville could look to package some picks as part of a trade. However, we saw this season that the Predators can't contend with their current group. So any trade may only provide short-term solutions, rather than long-term success. As a result, the Predators' best bet is to continue building through the draft.
Nashville has a great opportunity to continue gearing towards a brighter, long-term future, and they should take it, rather than rushing to try to contend now.
Predators look to plug holes in free agency
Obviously, last summer's big offseason additions didn't provide the desired impact in Nashville. At the same time, the thought process behind the moves was still fairly sound.
While building long-term should be the focus, the Predators once again still have cap space available to add. The team's only notable (restricted) free agent is Luke Evangelista, who's most likely to end up with a low-cost bridge deal. As a result, there's still a surplus of space available for the Predators to make moves.
Article Continues Below
For starters, there's also the opportunity to improve. Nashville had a real lack of scoring at the top of their lineup this year, and we can expect the Predators to attempt to address it. However, trying to strike the balance between a meaningful addition and one who isn't going to come with a huge financial commitment could be more challenging.
The Predators could also use some help on their blue line. While the team has a surplus of left-handed defenders, their group of right-handed defensemen is pretty thin. As a result, we could see the Predators look to target a right-shot veteran in order to stabilize the defense group a bit.
The key will just be about not comprising their future in order to add now. But as long as the team looks more towards plugging holes rather than signing big-money, long-term contracts, they should retain some flexibility for later.
Predators should still prioritize young talent
While we can likely expect certain holes will be filled this summer, the Predators should also prioritize giving their young talent opportunities within their lineup.
As of now, Nashville is working with a pretty old core for their team. So if the Predators want a quicker turnaround in becoming more competitive again without seeing a long-term drop-off, they'll need to be able to incorporate young talent into their lineup.
But the Predators don't have a great track record of being able to retain and develop prospects. Almost none of the team's draft picks over the last decade are impact players on the team's roster today. A recent example was Philip Tomasino, who ended up being dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins this season.
However, the Predators do have a good crop of prospects and young talent. Especially up front, all of Luke Evangelista, Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux could emerge as pieces to build around long-term. The likes of Joakim Kemell and Matthew Wood, along with defenseman Tanner Molendyk could also break into the NHL sooner than later.
But to develop these players, they'll need to leave room for them to grow their roles. The Predators will have to be careful that any external additions don't result in young talent getting pushed down the lineup for an extended period of time. As a result, any offseason additions should be made with development in mind.
